This invention relates to packaging for a sliced commestible, such as for example, bacon, and more particularly, to an improved package incorporating a polymeric backing board having rounded upwardly disposed corners to be covered by the sliced commestible in order that puncture of the film package enclosing material is prevented.
In the prior art, a number of backing materials have been proposed and utilized for a sliced commestible product, such as cheese or sliced meats, including bacon. In general, a soft and deformable material such as paper has been required, because of the problem of the backing material puncturing the film package enclosing material. Paper, however, has the disadvantage of lack of resistance to moisture, and over time presents a sticky and greasy surface appearance, which may be detrimental to the sale of the packaged product. Moreover, absorption of moisture by the paper backing material of the prior art may further tend to complicate the weight control process.
In order to alleviate the difficulties associated with paper backing sheets, a backing material of polymeric material has been proposed. However, the use of such materials as plastics for backing materials has in general been unsatisfactory, due to the tendency of the lateral edges and the corners of such plastic backing sheets to puncture the enclosing film, and thereby to reduce materially the shelf life of the contents of the package. Although this problem of tendency to puncture may be reduced by the use of heavier gauge enclosing film material, such a usage is costly and wasteful.
One attempt to solve the problems associated with the use of plastic backing sheets has been to extend such enclosing film material a substantial distance beyond the periphery of the backing board material. However, the extending of the film material a substantial distance beyond the periphery of the backing board is wasteful of the film material. Moreover, this technique does not address the fundamental cause of the problem, which is the puncturing during handling of a vacuumized package wherein atmospheric pressure forces the relatively thin enclosing film material against the sharp cut edges of the plastic backing board.